Please be my voice of reason!

[Dialemma]

Anonymous for reasons that may become obvious.
DH is getting very angry with me and I don't know what to do.

DIY/assisted livery yard. No-one on site overnight. Horse owned by someone who rarely goes up - others generally do her horse for a small fee. But that is just basic care. Turn out muck out, bring in, feed.

Horse got puncture wound 2 weeks ago. Vet came and has seen him regularly since. Puss-tastic 3 days ago. Vet warned could get worse. Horse off his legs this morning. I found him as I was first on yard. Resps and temp very high. Had not eaten his hay or his tea (hence also not had his antibs or pain relief). I rang owner. Owner came up and rang vet. Vet came, gave him lots of happy juice of various flavours, steroids, painkillers, heavy duty antibs. Got him up. He looked better and vet left saying he needed taking to hospital if he got worse again and he needed watching 24/7.

Owner has had all day to make a plan re overnight transport and horse care. She hasn't. She has gone home and says she is not free tonight to watch him. Important work commitment. Has left a message to everyone else saying he needs 24/7 care and if he gets worse he needs to go to hospital so can one of the liveries take him. At moment 2 liveries are sharing the overnight watch and I am feeling under pressure to transport. I said I'd take him now but I dont want to take him at 2 am. I have plans and have told DH I need to stay home in case I'm needed. He's kicked off saying it's not my horse! Or my job. I see his point but the horse might die.

We are all agreed owner is taking the yellow liquid big time, but it is the horse who needs help.

So WWYD?

 

[Dialemma]

This was meant to be in veterinary section. Don't know how to move it. Sorry Fatty

 

[twiggy2]

Either take the horse now or say your not doing it.
Its not your horse, you shouldn't be put in the situation, it's the owners responsibility and if they can't do it then the owner and or manager of the yard should step in, what do they say about what's going on? That said you did say you would take it.

 

[nagblagger]

If I had planned to go out I would, your DH is right. If a horse needed 24 HR observation he should already be in hospital, however my conscience would kick in and say to the liveries to phone me if needed, or could anyone else borrow your trailer/ lorry? The yard owner should be aware and involved to sort out this horse owner..even report her.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I think I would be like you and want to help the horse and I think most caring people would, I think I would be ringing his owner and telling her she needs to sort the situation out it's not down to you.

 

[SO1]

I think in this situation the horse needs to be in hospital monitored. As somone who often has work commitments that make taking time off for emergencies difficult I sympathise and for that reason I went on to part livery with people living on site. When Homey had very bad colic and had to be walked every hour on a Sunday night I did it. Called work the morning said I wouldn't be in and they managed without me.

If I had a work commitment so urgent it could not be covered by anyone else and sometimes that does happen because we are a small workplace. I would have looked at getting emergency transport and hospital care. It is not fair to ask people to monitor the horse overnight especially if they have to go to work the next day too. I know horse transport and hospital care is expensive but it doesn't seem fair to ask others to take the horse to hospital in the middle of the night as a favor when he could go in the evening so nobody would need to be up all night monitoring him.

However I can see that people wouldn't want the horse to suffer because the owner does not have adequate funds to pay to get the horse into hospital overnight if she cannot monitor it herself.

 

[Dialemma]

Yes I think 24/7 obs is a job for owner - and if they can't - hospital. But what to do you if owner won't do that? She has just said 'he needs watching and taking to hosptal if he gets worse'. And then she has gone home and said she is unavailable as working. But who wants that kind of responsibility anyway! To make that decision that he needs to go in and then to sort it all out. All overnight. And yes we all work too.

By the way owner is minted. Far far wealthier than most of the rest of us!

 

[AmyMay]

I’m a hard nosed . And would have nothing to do with the situation.

 

[Tiddlypom]

The owner is behaving despicably, and relying on the good will of others. Stuff her important work meeting, she needs to get this sorted herself and not by guilt tripping others into doing what she should be doing.

But clearly she isn't doing that.

Be aware that a horsepital may also insist on an upfront payment pre admitting a referral.

I'd insist that she pays for a professional transporter to take the horse in to horsepital now, where he can get the 24/7 care he needs. Just tell her that no one at the yard is available to monitor the horse and he needs to be admitted.

 

[Clodagh]

I would just say no, check the horse when I went last today to the yard and leave him to it. Poor thing.
So people are going to stay up all night to watch him for no money? I’m with your partner on this

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I'm afraid that the people who agreed to monitor him overnight should have refused and told the owner that she must organise for him to go to horsepital during daylight hours. However, as they did agree, the responsibility is now theirs.
You could speak to the owner and explain that your time to help is limited, if the horse needs transport, it will have to be before xtime, so she needs to make a decision.

 

[Clodagh]

I'm afraid that the people who agreed to monitor him overnight should have refused and told the owner that she must organise for him to go to horsepital during daylight hours. However, as they did agree, the responsibility is now theirs.

That is a fair point. They should not have offered.

 

[AmyMay]

I'm afraid that the people who agreed to monitor him overnight should have refused and told the owner that she must organise for him to go to horsepital during daylight hours. However, as they did agree, the responsibility is now theirs.
You could speak to the owner and explain that your time to help is limited, if the horse needs transport, it will have to be before xtime, so she needs to make a decision.

Or you could tell the owner you will not be transporting the horse anywhere- and how dare they abdicate their responsibility on to others!

 

[Snow Falcon]

Not your responsibility. You are unavailable to care for someone's else horse. If she has the funds to keep one, she also has the funds to pay for the hospital and transport should the horse require it. Who is the owner of the yard? Make them aware of the situation if they aren't already and then enjoy whatever you have planned to do.

 

[LEC]

I am also hard nosed. If the horse dies, it dies. Let it be on the owners conscience. Sounds like it should have been sold months ago.

 

[AmyMay]

I am also hard nosed. If the horse dies, it dies. Let it be on the owners conscience. Sounds like it should have been sold months ago.

And I know many will be shocked at this. But I’m absolutely in this camp.

How dare they!

 

[Tiddlypom]

I'm afraid that the people who agreed to monitor him overnight should have refused and told the owner that she must organise for him to go to horsepital during daylight hours. However, as they did agree, the responsibility is now theirs.
You could speak to the owner and explain that your time to help is limited, if the horse needs transport, it will have to be before xtime, so she needs to make a decision.

It is perfectly in order for the other owners to say that, on reflection, they do not feel confident to monitor such a sick horse when it belongs to someone else and that they are stepping down from the responsibility.

It is a HUGE responsiblity. Say the horse dies at the yard. Will the horse's owner come chasing the other owners for letting it die? Probably.

The important thing is that the horse's owner is told ASAP that she is now the one fully in charge of her own sick horse.

 

[TPO]

What a horrible, selfish rat the owner is.

Who is the YO/YM? Surelythey need to step in and MAKE the owner care for their horse or send it to hospital to get proper care?

Then they need to serve notice and kick her off the yard. If she was 24/7 care then she pays a full livery package not burden other DIYers.

I'm so angry at this excuse for an owner.

I'm assuming other liveries feel the same as you. You all need to band together and phone the owner, not message which she can claim not to have received, and tell her some home truths and to get her lazy backside to the yard to look after her own horse and sort out transport to get it to the hospital.

If she refuses to care for a sick, & potentially dying horse, then not only does YO need to kick her out she should be reported to any/every welfare organisation for leaving a horse at risk like that (along with her daily lack of care)

 

[TPO]

I am also hard nosed. If the horse dies, it dies. Let it be on the owners conscience. Sounds like it should have been sold months ago.

Doesn't sound like she has much of a conscience or gives a flying fig.

Poor horse

 

[Auslander]

Who/where is the yard owner/manager in this situ. The owner is 100% at fault here, but someone needs to step up and tell her she needs to get her act together and care for her horse, and yard owner has a duty of care. He/she should be on her back like a glue soaked monkey until she gets the message that her behaviour is appalling, and takes responsibility

 

[AmyMay]

Have you informed the YO of the situation?

 

[Dialemma]

Thanks all. Yard manager/owner aware though not around this weekend. (Away with family). He has said no-one should feel responsible for helping her. But if people are volunteering to watch him, fair enough, he;s not stopping them. Plus right now horse is ok and so, as far as he is concerned, horse saw a vet earlier today who decided horse did not need admitting.

He will do a late night check on his way home at about 10. Then horse would be alone till first livery is there at 6ish. So an 8 hour gap. Enough time for the horse to get very poorly. And that is not what vet recommended as vet said horse could deteriorate quickly. Hence people feeling they need to stay.

Now it's all kicking off because the hard nosed folk (and I wish I was one of then really!) are annoyed with the softies for enabling the owner's awful behaviour! So I have decided to stay out of it. I offered to take him at 10 this morning. I have been willing and able to transport him all day. Equally she could have found an professional transporter today. Or oculd have arranged for one to by on stand by just in case. I am going up now to sort my own horse out and after that I will just ignore everyone I think. I am so upset though. Poor horse.

 

[LEC]

Yes it is the horse who suffers but maybe it will all now result in a better plan for the future with forcing the owner to do something proactive, if it doesn’t then maybe people will stop enabling the owner.

 

[Upthecreek]

Absolutely appalling behaviour from the owner, but other liveries should not have volunteered to watch the horse, take responsibility for deciding it needs to go to horspital if it’s condition deteriorates and for transporting it there!! I’m not sure if I’m more shocked that she is expecting this or that the other liveries have agreed to it Why is her time more valuable than everyone else’s? I cannot understand why you would agree to be involved, unless it was to help out a very good friend (which is not how you’ve described her).

The yard manager/owner may not be around this weekend, but they are still responsible for ensuring the horses on their premises receive appropriate care. He needs to phone the owner and tell her she needs to take responsibility for monitoring her own horse in accordance with vet advice. Immediately.

Poor horse. But definitely not a problem for anyone other than the horse’s owner or failing that the yard manager/owner to sort out.

 

[twiggy2]

That is a fair point. They should not have offered.

It is a fair point if people have offered, then just let them know they will need to source other transport if the horse needs to go in OP

Thanks all. Yard manager/owner aware though not around this weekend. (Away with family). He has said no-one should feel responsible for helping her. But if people are volunteering to watch him, fair enough, he;s not stopping them. Plus right now horse is ok and so, as far as he is concerned, horse saw a vet earlier today who decided horse did not need admitting.

He will do a late night check on his way home at about 10. Then horse would be alone till first livery is there at 6ish. So an 8 hour gap. Enough time for the horse to get very poorly. And that is not what vet recommended as vet said horse could deteriorate quickly. Hence people feeling they need to stay.

Now it's all kicking off because the hard nosed folk (and I wish I was one of then really!) are annoyed with the softies for enabling the owner's awful behaviour! So I have decided to stay out of it. I offered to take him at 10 this morning. I have been willing and able to transport him all day. Equally she could have found an professional transporter today. Or oculd have arranged for one to by on stand by just in case. I am going up now to sort my own horse out and after that I will just ignore everyone I think. I am so upset though. Poor horse.

The yard owner manager had a good point too, horse has been seen by a vet and not needing admitting at that point, if people have offered to watch the horse then that's their choice and their responsibility, the YO can't tell them not too and the horse is being watched.

 

[twiggy2]

Absolutely appalling behaviour from the owner, but other liveries should not have volunteered to watch the horse, take responsibility for deciding it needs to go to horspital if it’s condition deteriorates and for transporting it there!! I’m not sure if I’m more shocked that she is expecting this or that the other liveries have agreed to it Why is her time more valuable than everyone else’s? I cannot understand why you would agree to be involved, unless it was to help out a very good friend (which is not how you’ve described her).

The yard manager/owner may not be around this weekend, but they are still responsible for ensuring the horses on their premises receive appropriate care. He needs to phone the owner and tell her she needs to take responsibility for monitoring her own horse in accordance with vet advice. Immediately.

Poor horse. But definitely not a problem for anyone other than the horse’s owner or failing that the yard manager/owner to sort out.

If people have agreed to watch the horse then it is relieving appropriate care ad that's what the vet recommended. If they had said no then the YO could do something

 

[Upthecreek]

If people have agreed to watch the horse then it is relieving appropriate care ad that's what the vet recommended. If they had said no then the YO could do something

I thought OP posted because she is now unable to provide transport at any hour of the day or night should the horse need it? If the liveries watching the horse decide it needs to go to horspital who will take it? OP should not feel she has to because the owner can’t be arsed. I do feel the yard manager/owner should step in and remind the owner that she is responsible for the welfare of her horse, though I do agree that everyone should have told her no from the outset.

 

[TheMule]

I wouldn’t take someone else's horse to hospital- a deposit will probably need paying and admission paperwork, the owner needs to be there. If you watch and are worried again then call the vet back out.

 

[MissTyc]

I hope the horse is OK.
Having been in a situation where I couldn't get to the yard for an injury and attending vet said something like "should be OK, obviously you'll need to keep a very close eye" to the people who kindly called them out on my behalf, I had my horse sent to the clinic. I was happy to source transport, but as the vet decision was made by 10am, another friend kindly picked him up. It meant I could go about my day knowing he was in the right place and my yard could go about their own business not worrying about my horse deteriorating. It's an enormous responsibility, and the reality is that infections of any type can turn very serious quite suddenly.

That said, this horse will probably be fine while another with an adoring owner who would do anything for them will probably die. Seems to the be the way it works

ETA: I have taken horses to vet for other people, including in an emergency, but a Sunday night "on call" isn't really acceptable. I did a 9pm run for one of my best friends and even she only called on a don't ask don't get basis with a pro on standby if I couldn't do it (or had had a glass of wine!). And that was an actual real friend that I actually like!

 

[Tiddlypom]

If he deteriorates overnight and needs emergency admittance during the night he may be very unsteady to travel, even if he loads. Something for the owner or for a pro transporter, not a conscript.